What makes a successful Coven tick? (Revision 3)
Lady Jayne Tomas, HP, Silver Chalice Community 1988
Updates and Revisions by Kaatryn MacMorgan, 1996, 2000
© CUEW

A successful coven is largely a misnomer. Like a “healthy family” it is not perfect or quiet, reserved or without its faults. It is, when it is best, functionally dysfunctional, a group of dynamic personalities thinking separately and working as one. It is not, as some would lead you to believe, a group of people thinking as one and agreeing on everything. In fact, it is my belief that a successful coven disagrees often, loudly, and with LOVE.

In the seventies, Irving Janis wrote a study on “groupthink”. To those who have been Neo-pagans, Witches and Druids for a while, this concept is not new or radical, it is something sometimes called “covenitis” or “Inseparable circle syndrome.” Covenitis is, to paraphrase Janis, “a way of thinking that pagans engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive circle, when the members' strivings for unanimity and the belief that they are sanctioned by the Gods themselves in their actions override their motivation to deal with rational dissent and new information." The Coven afflicted with this form of thought may appear to the initiate to be a positive experience, but these are the Branch Davidians of Paganism, waiting for a dynamic leader to lead them to their doom. Perhaps, as a priestess, this is the hardest thing to fight against in the circle, but covenitis and groupthink are so much worse than what might be considered traditional coven issues- breaking oaths of silence, pettiness, divorces, and differing ideologies.

Janis defined eight symptoms of groupthink: illusions of group invulnerability, rationalization of contradictory information, belief in inherent group morality, negative stereotyping of outsiders, applying pressure to dissenters, self-censorship, illusions of unanimity, and mindguarding. I shall now explain each of these terms and show the forms they appear in Wiccan Covens:

Illusions of group invulnerability: Fairly self-explanatory. In Wiccan groups, this takes the form of believing that the magick or prayers of the group are so powerful they can overcome anything and/or the belief that the tradition of the group is SO perfect that nothing else comes close. The coven with this symptom believes itself simply the best.

Rationalization of contradictory information: In this symptom, the Wiccan group eyes any information that deviates from the status quo as simply wrong, concocting elaborate internal stories as to why the other information is there. For example, the Charge of the Goddess of Doreen Valiente, as used by some Gardnerian groups, differs from the Charge of The Goddess of Laurel Nighthawk used by Pegasus Coven of Boston. A way of rationalizing this, on the part of the Gardnerian hearing it in a ritual could range from assuming the priestess forgot the proper charge and made it up on the spot to believing that the “false” charge had been implanted by evil Christians out to destroy Wicca as we know it.

Belief in inherent group morality: In this symptom, the Wiccan coven is right, right, right and to say otherwise is to be the mysterious “they” they are so on guard against. Recently, a pagan author announced the publication of a rather cheesy Wicca-for-kids kit. When the community objected, the author sent a lengthy open letter to the pagan public listing, among those disgruntled people ‘jealous’ unpublished authors, Christians trying to undermine Wicca and people who just hated her, NOT ONCE did she acknowledge their point of view, even to dismiss it. By believing the group’s actions are inherently right, indeed, inherently MORAL, those who oppose them are amoral. Which, of course, is the basis for….

Negative stereotyping of outsiders: In this symptom, those outside the group, the cowans, are less EVERYTHING than those within the group. Their tradition or religion is lesser, they are all “new age” or “fluffy bunnies” or they are downright evil. In many Wiccan groups, these evil do-ers are the “fundies,” used collectively to refer to ALL Christians, though in reality it is only a few.

Applying pressure to dissenters: applying pressure to those who dissent from the norm is a scary and downright evil symptom, one that can happen in ANY coven, it is self-explanatory- those who disagree with the group are cajoled, bribed or otherwise manipulated into agreement. If they will not agree they are removed.

Self-censorship: One of the results of applying pressure to dissenters is that dissenters quickly learn to shut up. So Stephanie Starmoon doesn’t WANT to move the Samhain ceremony up a day, the group seems for it and she doesn’t want to stick out or make waves- so she remains silent. What she doesn’t know, perhaps, is that most of the group would agree with her, but they, too, are afraid. This is called:

Illusions of unanimity: In short, the belief that the group agrees with each other because there are no objections. In reality, objections are just kept silent.
Mindguarding: Janis describes mindguarding as keeping adverse information from other members for fear it will might ruin their perceptions of consensus and the effective decision. In the example above, Stephanie might have a really valid reason for not wanting to move the ceremony- in this case, the knowledge that kids will be knocking on the door trick or treating during it- she keeps that silent, and eventually blocks it out all together.


A successful coven avoids groupthink altogether. The following list can help:


-Have a leader, and have that leader be impartial.
-Make rules with a special subgroup that reports to the coven
-Use DIFFERENT groups of people for different tasks
-Divide into small groups
-Seek the advice of experts and other covens, as well as books, before making decisions
-When working something important out, break into several small groups and compare the
-Play Devil’s advocate and question all the group's ideas
-Hold "second-chance meetings" to offer one last opportunity to change direction.

In my experience, there are eight archetypes of people in covens. Keeping their special needs in mind helps to keep a coven functioning.

#1.The Avid Supporter (Buffalo)
The Buffalo is marked by a sincere belief that the leader (or the coven as a group) is really going the right way and is worth being followed. As a Result, the Buffalo does its best to see everything runs smoothly.
Positive Aspects: The Buffalo can be trusted to go the extra inch. Buffalos never forget to bring cakes and ale and do their best to keep the coven running smoothly without leading it.
Negative aspects: Too many buffalos are, simply, a herd. While one or two buffalos are GREAT! A coven full of them is especially susceptible to groupthink or even just blindly following the leader. A buffalo tends to stay a buffalo.

#2. The Secret Leader (The Ozzie, Ferret)
The Ozzie (Named for the Wizard in the Wizard of Oz), is usually in cahoots with the leader of a group. The Ozzie creates rituals, ritual items or ideas without laying claim to them. Often saying things like “a friend of mine says….” When it’s really THEY who says it. A LOT of spouses of coven leaders are “Ozzies”
Positive Aspects: The Ozzie can be guaranteed, in most instances, to have a vast amount of great ideas, and will not be possessive of them unless someone “claims” the idea for their own. They keep the ideas that work well inside as secret accomplishments to be proud of.
Negative Aspects: The Ozzie often is very shy are won’t defend his positions. If cornered to take credit, the Ozzie runs and hides (Pay no Attention to the man behind the curtain!) An Ozzie pulled from behind a curtain may grow into a “Silent Sword” or a “Grandparent.”

#3. The Silent Sword (Wolf)
The Silent sword is usually an older member of a group that either has a high-turn around or else has gotten many new members. He sits in the wings for the usual routine, but if the coven is threatened, he leaps from the shadows.
Positive Aspects: The silent Sword has emotion invested in the group. He is willing to protect it, if asked.
Negative Aspect: The Silent sword leaves the coven leader with doubts… is he/she still a member of the group or not? Often the Silent Sword stops coming to meetings altogether, but still WANTS to. Silent Swords can be pulled back into action by giving them a few duties to make them feel like they have a distinct purpose. Silent Swords often evolve into “Grandparents” or “Stars”

#4. The Narcissist (Peacock)
The narcissist is in the coven to better himself…only. He is especially interested in the appearance of the group and getting degrees and titles. The narcissist wants to be in charge, and if he is kept “low” he’ll often leave the group in a huff. Narcissists often think the threat of leaving the group is a way to bully people.
“If we don’t do _______, I’m quitting!!!!” Functional covens treat such bullying with “see ya!”
Postive Aspects: A narcissist often makes the WHOLE group strive to be better. If the narcissism is not too heavy, he may even discover that his self-betterment requires developing humility. Many narcissists evolve into “Stars”
Negative Aspects: He’s a narcissist! At its worst, a narcissist may start a witch war or otherwise damage the coven if he doesn’t get his way. The narcissist likes to “hijack” issues- for example, upon hearing a coven member’s father had just died, one narcissist I knew played a game of “emotional one-up-man-ship”, spinning the horrible tale of her parent’s divorce 10 years ago, sobbing hysterically, effectively turning the conversation to focus on her instead of the one who NEEDED the support at that time.

#5. The Dark Narcissist (Black Holes, BHs, Swans)
The BH joined the coven because his life is sooooooo awful and he is looking for love and fulfillment. Often, the awfulness is his own doing. The BH likes to “hijack” issues- for example, a 47 year old gay BH, hearing that a 20 year old was given a hard time by his grandparent for being gay may spin a story of his horrible trauma coming out- effectively turning the conversation to focus on him. While he has a lot of self-loathing, he IS a narcissist.
Positive aspects: Sometimes the BH is REALLY helped by the group, and if the group is cohesive enough they can deal with the downsides.
Negative Aspects: A BH really damages group unity if not carefully watched and dealt with. BHs and Narcissists are especially dangerous in combination. A BH can often be dragged into becoming an Ozzie, a Buffalo, or rarely, a Star.

#6. The Star (Eagle)
Crowley said, “Every {one} is a Star” the star realizes that. He has allied with the coven because the coven is going the same direction as he, and while he’d like to stay with the coven, he’ll only be there as long as he and the coven are going the same way. Unlike the narcissist, who may leave in a huff if the coven is not going his way, the Star leaves on good terms if he must leave at all. He is marked by the desire to not interfere with the Wills of others while seeking to know his own.
Positive Aspects: Stars are very sure of where they are going, and often are in the coven for all the RIGHT reasons. Stars are stable, clearly delimitating between coven problems and personal problems, and are likely to settle disputes within the rules of the coven, or privately. Some stars are “helpers” and choose to work overtime to help BHs and Ozzies. Most Stars have trouble with narcissists because they seem “stuck” on a place on their path. Often they look at narcissists with pity because they, themselves, had narcissistic moments.
Negative aspects: A Star will tend to leave the coven if he disagrees with it, rather than steer it toward his path, which is not ALWAYS a good thing. In “bad times” some Stars revert to narcissism. For the most part, however, a combination of Stars and Buffalos make a GREAT coven.

#7. The Grandparent. (Spider)
“When I was your age, Wicca was…” begins a lot of the grandparent’s tales. S/he is usually older than the rest of the group, or more rarely, was raised Pagan and is the same age or younger with more experience. Set in his/her ways, Grandparents provide a voice of experience to the coven and at the same time often embody the m/paternal. The grandparent is quick to point out concerns over health and safety, and sometimes more obscure things like handicapped accessibility Grandparents want everyone to have the best, safest experience there is.
Positive aspects: The grandparent is a real trooper, willing to go the distance for the coven. Often a great mediator for disputes and a real friend outside the circle.
Negative aspects: Some grandparents feel they should be defacto leaders because of their experience. Some grandparents overstress some issues, for example, the closed membership coven with 10 people, all able bodied, does not need to move its location from a three flight walk up. Grandparents can be cloying.

#8. The Lawyer (Hawk)
“The coven charter says…” The lawyer is very serious about the coven. S/he has invested time and energy in the assistance of the creation of the rules, “and by golly, we’re gonna follow them!!”
Positive aspects: The lawyer has memorized the charter, knows the rules, and is willing to quote them. Often the lawyer is a legal-brains of some kind outside the circle, and can be trusted to come up with great ideas legally, and go the distance to research things like local ordinances and safety requirements.
Negative aspects: The Lawyer LOATHES spontaneity, and has a habit of trying to over regulate the coven. Left unchecked, this can damage the coven.


Balancing the needs of the eight types of coveners with preventing groupthink is a difficult task, but worthwhile. When coven structure works, it is a wonderful, growing experience worth working for.


Janis, Irving, 1982, Groupthink: Psychological Studies of Policy Decision.
Tomas, Jayne, 1988, “The 8 types of Coveners”
Tomas, Jayne, 1986,”What makes Silver Chalice tick?”
Wyrmstar, Tamryn, 1984, “Groupthink in covens and a way out.”
Wyrmstar, Tamryn, 1988, “The 8 types of Coveners as Shamanic archetypes”

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